Danube river reveals remains of missing WWII German soldiers

Low water levels in the Danube near Budapest have revealed the remains of two German soldiers from the Second World War, along with their military identity tags and a DKW military motorcycle. The soldiers had been listed as missing for over 80 years, with no confirmation of their deaths.

Experts from the Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge are working to identify the men using the recovered tags. The location of the tags provides vital clues; for instance, tags found at chest level likely belonged to the individual, whereas those found at hip level might have been collected by a soldier from a fallen comrade to be returned to their unit.

The remains are expected to be interred at the Budaörs German war cemetery in November 2026.